5 Ways Boomers Can Save on Dental Care
By lb50 on April 1, 2012
By Dr. Peter Krimsky –
If the average woman has 28 teeth—and 51 percent of the 78 million American Baby Boomers are women—then our nation’s dentists will be handling the dental care for more than 1 billion teeth looking to age gracefully.
Over the years, Boomers have enjoyed a mouthful of oral health improvements. From fluoride toothpastes to community water fluoridation efforts, Boomers are living longer with healthier teeth than ever.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, our Baby Boomer generation will be the first where the majority will maintain their natural teeth over their entire lifetime.
Unfortunately, one in four Americans under 65 still have no dental insurance, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics. And, if you’re 65 or older, Medicare does not cover routine dental care procedures like cleanings, or restorative services like fillings, or dentures.
But, you don’t have to skip your next dental appointment because you don’t have dental insurance or can’t afford that $1,200 root canal. To help, here are 5 ways Boomers can save on dental care:
- Join a discount dental plan: You can search, compare and select from more than 30 discount dental plans to save 10% to 60% off most dental care procedures at DentalPlans.com. Just type in your ZIP code to find out what plans are available, how much they cost and what dentists in your area participate.
- Search for pro-bono dentistry: Check out FreeDentalWork.org for listings on free dental clinic events in your area. You can also look for events through nonprofit organization Dentistry From The Heart—with dentists who donate their time and equipment to provide free dental treatment.
- Visit a dental school: Some dental schools provide services cheaper than they would be at a practice. The work comes from students under the supervision of dentists. To find a school in your area, visit the American Dental Association at www.ADA.org.
- Sign up for daily deals: Best known for discounts on lifestyle goods, sites like Groupon and Living Social are starting to help people fill their insurance voids. According to DealRadar.com, about one out of every 11 deals offered online is for a health care service.
- Save on dental care products: From Oral-B electric toothbrushes to Waterpik Flossers, you can check out Dentist.net for discounts, daily specials and $1 deals on a wide variety of dental care products.
These 5 tips to save money on dental care should be good news for a generation that’s not ready to sit back and retire.
Dr. Peter Krimsky is a South Florida dentist who tends to more than 80 patients a week (from age 14 all the way up to 95) at his practice. He earned his DDS at the School of Dental Medicine at Stonybrook University in New York (SUNY). In addition to working with his patients to save money on dental care procedures with discount dental plans from DentalPlans.com, Dr. Krimsky is a member of numerous professional dentistry organizations, including the Florida Dental Association, American Dental Association and Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
Travis
April 3, 2012 at 11:30 am
Great article! It had been nearly 2 years since I had my teeth cleaned and checked. I recently contacted the local university and made an appointment for the next day. One hour and ten dollars later, i had my teeth cleaned and checked. For anybody not wanting to spend very much money, this is a great route to go!
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